A SCOUT group is in talks with Tameside Council over the future of a former nursery site in Denton after the authority paused plans to market the land for disposal.
4th Denton Scout Group has opened discussions with the council regarding the former Stepping Stones site on St Anne’s Road, which has been unused for almost five years.
The group, which has served the St Anne’s Estate continuously since 1935, hopes the site can become an outdoor space for the around 100 young people aged between four and 18 who take part in activities every week.
Lead volunteer Keith Burdon said the land could provide a valuable facility for young people in the community.
He told The Correspondent: “We would like to use the land for a much-needed outdoor space for the young people of our scout group, providing a safe, accessible outdoor environment where young people can learn skills for life, take part in adventurous activities, and enjoy the kind of experiences that build resilience and pride in their community.”
The group launched a petition calling on the local authority to engage with them and the wider community to explore options including community use, a lease or transfer of the site. The petition has received more than 100 signatures.
4th Denton Scouts – which is based at the Tameside Wellness Centre – had raised concerns that the council had moved towards selling a community asset without properly engaging with a local organisation that had expressed an interest in using the land for community benefit.
The group said: “The lack of any engagement has been both surprising and disappointing, particularly given the group’s long-standing contribution to young people and families within the local community.”
However, the council has now apologised for an “administrative error” which led to a lack of response initially and confirmed that the marketing process has been paused while it liaises with the scout group.
A Tameside Council executive cabinet report in June 2026 stated that the site was formally declared surplus in September 2024 after the nursery’s lease expired in 2021. The site measures approximately 567 square metres and includes a dilapidated portacabin.
The council said there had been “numerous attempts to lease the site” over the past five years, but these had been unsuccessful, leading to a decision to approve a process to market the site for disposal by informal tender.
Legal obligations under Section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972 require local authorities to dispose of property for the best consideration that can reasonably be obtained unless specific exemptions apply.
The scouts had written to both Tameside Council and Denton MP Hannah Spencer after raising concerns about the future of the site.
The group and the council are now discussing whether the land could be transformed into a community facility to support local young people.
A Tameside Council spokesperson told The Correspondent: “We’d like to thank the 4th Denton Scout Group for their interest in the former Stepping Stones site in St Anne’s Road in Denton and welcome the opportunity to engage with this further.
“We are arranging to meet with the group to discuss how we can progress their interest. We’ve also offered our sincere apologies for not responding to the group’s initial enquiry, due to an administrative error, which they have kindly accepted alongside our proposal to progress.
“Following the vacation of the site by the previous tenant, we undertook efforts to re-let the building and secure a new occupier. Unfortunately, these efforts did not result in a letting, and the site was declared surplus to operational requirements.
“We have paused the marketing while we liaise with the 4th Denton Scout Group about their interest.”